Politics
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The Sedition Act of 1918
On this day in 1918, the Sedition Act was passed by Congress forbidding Americans from using “disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language” about the U.S. government, flag, or armed forces during the ongoing First World War. It also allowed the Postmaster General to refuse to deliver any mail that, in his discretion, fit this description.… Continue reading
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Americans Have Less Free Time Than Medieval Peasants
It probably goes without saying that we Americans have a lot more going for us nowadays than our ancestors did several centuries ago: public health and sanitation, plentiful food and water (for the most part), democracy and free press (of a sort). But this article from Business Insider points out one big area in which we resoundingly… Continue reading
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The Clout of Countries
The term “soft power” was first coined by American political scientist Joseph Nye to describe a country’s ability to exercise influence abroad without the “hard power” of military force, sanctions, and the like. It is an idea I had encountered often during my undergrad studies of political science and international relations, but its inherent fuzziness… Continue reading
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Do Puerto Ricans Pay Taxes?, And Other Misconceptions About America’s Largest Territory
Much is made of the fact that Puerto Rico residents do not “pay taxes” and thus seem to derive a great deal of benefit from being a U.S. territory. However, this factoid is both incorrect and irrelevant. For starters, to be precise, most Puerto Ricans do not pay federal income tax — they still pay… Continue reading
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Over 80% Top Science Students Second Generation Immigrants
Among the major consequences of curtailing immigration to the United States would be losing access to the world’s best and brightest — and their children and grandchildren. As Forbes reported: A new study from the National Foundation for American Policy found a remarkable 83% (33 of 40) of the finalists of the 2016 Intel Science Talent Search were the… Continue reading
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How South Koreans Hold Their Corrupt Leaders to Account
South Korea is the only country in the world where all living former leaders (six in all) have either been convicted of corruption offenses, or are being tried or investigated for such crimes, including two former dictators from the 1980s and 1990s. Just last year, one of these leaders was unseated following what may have… Continue reading
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The World’s Most Infamous Genocide is Quickly Being Forgotten
After over seventy years of proclaiming “never forget”– which goes hand in hand with ensuring that we stay true to “never again” — society is increasingly losing sight of that mantra, according to a survey released on Holocaust Remembrance Day this past April and reported by the New York Times: Continue reading
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Nearly Half of All Americans Avoid Health Care Due to Costs
Courtesy of Forbes comes a depressing yet not entirely surprising report: Cost continues to be a barrier to treatment with 40% of Americans who say they “skipped a recommended medical test or treatment in the last 12 months due to cost.”Another 32% were “unable to fill a prescription or took less of a medication because of the cost,” the West Health/NORC… Continue reading
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The Countries Whose Citizens Are Most Likely Fight a War
According to a 2015 WIN/Gallup International global survey, which asked respondents in 64 countries whether they would be willing to fight for their country in a war, Japan had the fewest people willing to go to war (11%) while Morocco and Fiji tied for the highest (94%). The U.S. and Russia were at 44% and 59% respectively, while… Continue reading
About Me
Humanist | Bibliophile | Writer | Wiki Editor | World Citizen | Esquire (J.D. / LL.M.)